1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of communications. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method for call ticker.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telecommunications has experienced explosive growth, and more growth is planned as telecommunication access and numerous communications devices improve. This explosive growth is revolutionizing special services offered to subscribing customers. Of the special service offerings, the most relevant to this invention is the caller identification or Caller ID services. A customer or a user of a telephone that is served by the Caller ID service is provided with a calling party's directory information. Presently available Caller ID systems provide the calling party's telephone number and a billing name associated with the calling party's telephone number (if available) when an incoming caller line identification (ICLID) signal can be detected, decoded, and transmitted to the called telephone or other display device associated with the called telephone (e.g., a Caller ID device). The Caller ID services also allow a receiving party to receive directory information for other incoming calls while the receiving party's phone is used (e.g., during a conversation with another party); this service is sometimes referred to as Caller ID Call Waiting (CIDW) service.
Typically, an incoming call triggers a ringer (or generates a tone if CIDW) of the called telephone to alert a customer that there is an incoming call. Once alerted, the customer may view displayed Caller ID information to make a decision whether to answer, to not answer, and/or to prepare for the incoming call. Thereafter, the customer may have a record of the Caller ID information stored on a Caller ID device and may use that information to return a call, to update a personal phone book, and/or to track calls. Because of limited information transmitted with the ICLID signal, limited capabilities of Caller ID devices, and/or limited notification alerts, alternate caller identification systems and methods are desired.